everything you need to know about french roast coffee

Everything You Need to Know About French Roast Coffee

Here is a treat for all ardent coffee lovers of the world. This Buzzle post tells you everything about French roast coffee, right from the process of roasting to how can you make it in order to enjoy sheer coffee bliss!

Just the Name! Although the coffee is called French roast, it has nothing to do France. Coffee houses in North America adopted the word "French" in their dark roast brews to add a level of sophistication.
Every time you enter a coffee shop, doesn't the intoxicating aroma of coffee just fill your nostrils and entice your senses? What gives coffee its luring fragrant quality is the process of roasting coffee beans. It is this apparently simple process that magical transforms innocent little green coffee beans into the bewitching roasted coffee that we all know and love. Roasting coffee to perfection is a highly technical skill; no, it is an art form that takes years of practice to master. French roast coffee is a style of roasting coffee till it is almost incinerated. This roasting imparts a dark brown, almost black color to the coffee beans. The beans are usually roasted till they start secreting oil, giving the beans a shiny look. Hence, this coffee is classified under dark roast coffees. Usually if the French roast is roasted for a minute longer, then this roast is called Italian roast.
Process of Roasting
In order to achieve the perfect French roast, green beans have to undergo various transition phases. In the initial phases, the beans turn light yellow, giving off a grassy smell which dissipates their internal water content. After a while, the beans give off a fragrant steam and a distinct crackling sound. The first crack usually occurs when the internal temperature of the beans reaches around 180°C - 205°C. As most of the water in the beans has dissipated by now, the sugars present in them start to caramelize. The beans at this point expand in size and become visibly darker in color. Roasting the coffee beans beyond this point gives off a more coffee-like aroma. At temperatures between 210°C - 220°C, lies a point when the second crack is just about to start, and beyond this, the second crackling sound is heard. This sound is less audible than the first crack. A few minutes beyond this point, the roast takes on a very dark color, the air at this point, is filled with a pungent, burnt-sugar aroma of the coffee. The darkened, almost black, coffee beans adorn a glistening sheen on them. At the end of the second crackling sound, the perfect French roast beans are ready. The second crack begins at about 225°C - 230°C, and French roast beans are never roasted beyond 240°C.
Flavor Profile
The longer you roast the beans, the more they lose their intrinsic coffee flavor. Beyond a certain point of roasting, the beans take on the pronounced character from the roasting process. As French roast coffee is a dark roast, it can be described to have a slight hint of burnt sugar with a distinct roasted character. Its flavor can also be said to be bittersweet. This acidity in the coffee is reduced significantly due to the process of roasting.
Caffeine Content
Most people believe that the darker the coffee, the higher will be the caffeine content. But contrary to popular belief, darker roasts usually have a lower caffeine content. You could thank the roasting process for that! The longer the coffee beans are roasted, lower is their caffeine content. Again, the amount of caffeine in your coffee depends on the type of coffee used and the method of brewing as well.
How to Make French Roast Coffee
For those who love their dark roasts, brewing their French roast coffee in a French press is the best way to indulge in pure coffee haven. Here are some steps you'll need to follow to achieve pure bliss. Things you'll need ▶ Some good quality freshly ground (coarse) French roast coffee ▶ French press ▶ Spoon ▶ Timer ▶ Boiling Hot Water ▶ Thermal flask Procedure
  1. Take about eight tablespoons of coarsely ground French roast coffee for 8 cups of the concoction to be made in the French press.
  2. Pour hot water that is at 205°F into the French press till half of it is filled.
  3. Set the timer for four minutes from this point, after every minute stir the mixture of the ground coffee and hot water, and add some more of the hot water.
  4. After four minutes, push the plunger, you might experience some resistance to the push as you go down.
  5. Pour the concoction out of the French press into a thermal flask to prevent it from taking on a stronger taste. You could increase or decrease the time for which the coffee sits in the water in order to make your coffee more strong or light.
  6. You could add a bit of sugar or creamer to your coffee according to your liking.
Phew, there you have it, everything and anything that we could get on French roasted is here just for you! So the next time you wanna strike a conversation with someone over coffee, we hope you think of this article.

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